


Of Talks and Teaching

by Elsceetaria



Category: Valdemar Series - Mercedes Lackey
Genre: Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-12-21
Updated: 2011-12-21
Packaged: 2017-10-27 16:57:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,185
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/298025
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Elsceetaria/pseuds/Elsceetaria
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tarma gets slightly priestly while she talks about vysaka and asexuality with a student.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Of Talks and Teaching

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Summercloud](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Summercloud/gifts).



> Summercloud: I tried to write more or less what you asked for. It had a slightly different form in my head, but I hope I didn't fail you too much.
> 
> Sorry the title is kind of stupid.
> 
> To the world at large: Please don't sue me. I don't have any money, and this is just for fun. The song lyrics are an exact quote copywrite 1987 Mercedes Lackey. She owns all the world and the familiar characters as well.

Tarma slipped into Kethry’s workroom. She knew her partner would still be awake and waiting for her. Kethry had been worried about how distracted one of her mage students had been, and she had seen when the young woman had politely approached the kal’enedral asking if she could come by her room latter to talk. As Tarma closed the door, the mage asked, “Is Arra alright?”

The warrior replied, “Yes, it’s just a variation on the normal troubles we get with the young ones although I will admit that you get this kind of discussion much more often than I do. You really owe me for this one, though.”

“Tell me about it.”

It was true that most of the girls, especially the mage students, went to Kethry for advice. It seemed as though they weren’t quite comfortable confiding in the warrior. This actually seemed to be true of Arra as well regardless of who she had asked to speak with.

Following Tarma up to her rooms, Arra had closed the door before settling in on the floor. She just sat there staring into the fire, her fingers running aimlessly through her long brown hair for several minutes. Tarma knew better than to pressuring the girl into speaking before she was ready, but as Warrl settled next to the young mage, she shifted her hands from her own head to the kyree’s fur and began, “I’m familiar with _The Swordlady_.”

Whatever Tarma had been expecting, it wasn’t this. It had been years since she had been forced to deal with Leslac or even think of That Song. Years of training both in war and teaching, however, allowed her to hide her surprise.

The girl continued, “You know that I grew up near Hawksnest. We all knew all the songs about you and Kethry if only to know which ones never to sing. I know that _The Swordlady_ is one of those songs, and I probably wouldn’t have mentioned it, but it’s relevant. I promise. You know the last verse. The one that goes:

Swordlady, one day there must come a man  
Who shall lift from you this self-imposed ban,  
Thawing the ice that’s enshrouded your soul,  
On that day swordlady, you shall be whole.”

Tarma knew the whole damned song by heart, and she nearly interrupted Arra until she heard the young mage sing. Her voice would have made most clan sibs and bard jealous. If she hadn’t been adept potential, Tarma might have suggested she could have earned more as a minstrel. She answered, “ _Hai’she’li_ , yes, I know the song. I ought to. It plagued me for years.”

“I’m sorry. “Arra actually looked sorry about having brought it up. “I never would have mentioned it, but the songs seems to imply that if you don’t want a man between your legs that your broken. I, mean, I know that for you it’s the result of the _vysaka_ , but do you think that there could be some reason? Is it possible that someone could just not possible that someone could just not like other people like that? Or -”

The young mage had begun to cry, burying her face in Warrl’s fur. The voice which had been perfectly clear a minute before was now a croak that in other situations could have been accused of being a passable imitation of Tarma, “- Or am I just broken?”

Tarma was sure that the girl wasn’t broken, but she wasn’t entirely sure what to say. She walked the couple of steps over to where Arra was sitting, and asked Warrl _:What do I say?:_

 _:You tell her a story. You tell her what you would have told Kethry if she had ever come to you like this. Compare it to the she’chrone if you need to. Can you do that?:_

 _:I think so.:_

As Tarma set a hand on the young mage’s shoulder, the girl looked up. Tarma nearly winced from how red and swollen the girl’s eyes were, but she didn’t. She simply began, “You aren’t broken. There is a Shin’a’in phrase _vai datha_. It means there are many ways. There are some people who are _she’chorne_ and there are people who aren’t. Some people will contribute children to the clans while others contribute in other ways. Do you think the Star Eyed would create her warriors to be broken?”

Arra thought about it for a minute before saying, “I guess not.”

Tarma more resolutely said, “She wouldn’t. Regardless of anything That Song may claim, neither I nor you are broken. There was a boy I was to marry before he was killed. I liked him in the way that women normally like men, but I don’t believe that the formation of the _vysaka_ broke me in anyway. The Goddess needs her _Kal’enedral_ to fit a very specific sheath, so she transforms us. It’s a change, but even if I could go back, I would still make the same decision. I may not be able to contribute to Tale’sedrin in the same way as my _she’enedra_ , Kethry, but I am still a complete member of the clan. _Hai shala_?”

Tarma was amazed that she was actually able to say the right words. This was getting to areas that were much more priestly than she usually ventured into. For Arra, however, it seemed that Tarma was in fact saying all the right things because she was calming down quite a bit. She replied, “I think so.”

“Here let me tell you a story. . .” Tarma began and proceeded to tell the story of a time when Kethry had had to fend off the advances of a number of drunk soldiers in a bar who were all pretty sure that he was each their God’s gift to womankind. Eventually, they decided that she had to be _she’chorne_ , which only made them more determined to fix the blonde beauty. Tamra chuckled as she recounted how Keth had spelled the men to not only sleep even later and wake with worse headaches than they otherwise would have but with members that would remain limp if the men had had even a single sip of beer or wine. As Tarma remarked Kethry’s final witty proclamation, Arra’s eyes glistened with tears of laughter as opposed to anxiety and sadness.

 _:That might not have been one of the best stories to tell the students. Plus, I’m not sure it was on topic.:_ Warrl interjected.

 _:She’s laughing. That alone makes it on topic:_

Arra got up and gave Tarma a hug. As she headed towards the door, Tarma told the young mage, “You can come back and talk whenever you need to. Remember, this is just different. It isn’t wrong. You aren’t broken. _Ves’tacha, vai datha_.

***

As Tarma concluded telling her partner about the exchange, Keth was glad that Arra had gone to Tarma. There was no way that she could have handled the situation that well. That said, all she could actually say was, “I cannot believe you told her that story. I am never going to hear the end of it.”

Tarma could only smile.


End file.
